Pick a colour

Written on the 1 June 2013 by Kellie Williams

Colour

Colour is not only one of the most powerful elements of design, it is often the most persuasive factor. Colour can increase brand recognition by a whopping 80%. And brand recognition directly leads to consumer confidence. Colours can attract shoppers, turn them away and also has the ability to change shopping behaviour! While 52% of shoppers are more likely to enter a store if there is a sale sign in the window, some colours can actually persuade them to purchase.

Colours for impulse shoppers are red, black and royal blue. This is why they are popular in fast food restaurants and clearance sales. Shoppers on a budget prefer navy and teal, which makes them popular choices for bank and department store logos.

Traditional buyers lean towards pink and sky blue, which are good colour choices for clothing stores. Yellow represents optimism and youth, orange is aggressive, demanding a call to action, while green is associated with wealth and also makes us relax, along with purple. Pink is romantic and feminine, while black is powerful and sleek. When choosing colours consider exactly what you want to make your customers feel, as colours can change not only how a consumer feels but their very actions. Colour should be an integral part of the design process - often the very first thing considered.

This article was published in Zoom in Business Magazine Issue 3